I'll say again, I'm not trying to tell anyone what they should shoot, I'm just laying out the facts as I know them, along with my opinion. There's been a lot laid out as if it were written in stone, and that isn't the case. Opinions are just that--no more, no less.
I didn't say quiet doesn't matter. I don't know if it matters as much as we've been led to believe. Until there are legitamate studies done, we don't know how much quieter, if any, certain strings or materials are, or if they are just different pitches that we don't pick up on but animals may--hence the dog whistle example. If musical instruments are any indicator, smaller strings have a higher pitch, and that's what we humans don't pick up on as well. Obviously it's not always a deal breaker.
I already said I tune for a quiet shot, and sometimes I wear camo, just because it makes me feel better. I know that plenty of animals have been killed with noisy bows, and plenty have been killed by hunters wearing no camo. I wouldn't quit hunting if I couldn't get my bow quiet or if I couldn't get any camo, and I really doubt my success rate would change much if at all.
If you are gaining 5# worth of energy just from a different string, you are the exception, not the rule--either that or you are switching from a really bad string to a really good one, and/or there was a difference in tuning. 'Course you can pick up a lot more peformance by changing things other than your string, but who's talking about those?
There are trade-offs, and I've pointed them out several times already, and others have verified.
You loose adjustment, which is very important when it comes to tuning. A tiny string simply cannot be twisted up or let out nearly as much.
You loose durability. You may hunt your entire life and never have an accident like touching your string with a sharp broadhead, but what if you do? Lots of folks hunt from stands and never fall, so does that mean we should disregard safety harnesses?
You have an increased potential for stretch and creep. I put around 300# of torque on my strings when I make them, but they still settle in some, and creep in hot weather. I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm pretty sure I know how to properly make a string. It's the nature of most all string materials to stretch and/or creep some, especially in hot weather.
Yeah, it's brought back memories for me too. I've been a string nut for quite a while now. I've asked questions about several things when it wasn't popular to do so....like questioning certain materials. I got blasted, but danged if I wasn't right, and the materials were taken off the market. Not because of anything I said, I just happened to notice some things a bit sooner than most.
I'm obviously not posting to promote my business, else I'd be saying what I thought the majority wanted to hear, or I'd just be keeping my mouth shut, period. I'm giving my honest opinion and experience.
I'm not saying skinny strings are evil, I'm simply pointing out the facts--everything has it's trade-offs. Is it wrong to point this out to folks that otherwise wouldn't know?